mysteries of an maize ancient grain

ancient treasure feeding our world what is maize?

is “maize” corn? a quintessential global crop family ties what is domestication?

Yes. Our modern English word Humankind owes much to this Recognized today, as in the past, It is a versatile crop, and can be Maize is a grain, specifically a grass, a Domestication is the process kernels (lacking the outer protective ‘maize’ is derived from the ancient plant and the early civilizations that for its high nutritional value, maize member of the Family Poaceae Carotenoids grown in a number of different Binomial by which plants and animals part of the kernel) and had larger ears word mahiz from the language of the cultivated it. Maize, like other grains, has become a food staple across environments on every continent [po-a-see-ee], which includes other Nomenclature are genetically modified over with more kernals. Eventually, a new Arawak Indians. These indigenous is a kind of grass. These plants the world. With high levels of Maize plants can have tremendous except Antarctica. Maize is a truly agriculturally important grasses time by humans for traits that type was formed, what we now call variation in several colored pigments Scientists use a formal system people inhabited South America and appeared in the fossil record about 70 starch and valuable proteins and economical food source, with higher such as rice, wheat, oats, sorghum, maize, or corn. collectively known as carotenoids. of naming organisms, called are more advantageous or the islands of the Caribbean when million years ago, just before the end oils, maize contains a number of These are organic pigments occurring yields than many other grains, and rye. As with all grasses, it is an binomial nomenclature. desirable for humans. in plants as well as algae and some Christopher Columbus made contact of the Age of Dinosaurs. But maize important B vitamins, folic acid, averaging 160 bushels per acre, even angiosperm: a flowering plant. Ripe teosinte seeds are covered in a types of bacteria and fungi. The Botanist Carolus Linnaeus adopted this two- with the New World. Returning to as we know it today has existed for vitamin C, and provitamin A. It is carotenoid beta-carotene is converted reaching over 300 bushels per acre! word naming system in 1753 (sometimes For example, if people notice that one hard protective casing. Because the to vitamin A, which is important called the scientific or Latin name). The first Spain in 1493 with this strange plant only 6000 years. Archaeologists Central to creation myths of the also rich in phosphorus, magnesium, (Each bushel can weigh 56 pounds, Within the family Poaceae, the genus particular plant in the field is taller, traits selected for are advantageous to human health and vision name refers to the genus of the organism, mahiz, Columbus and other explorers believe that maize was domesticated Americas, images of maize have manganese, zinc, copper, iron and and acts as an antioxidant. so each acre can produce as much as Zea includes maize and its early the second to the species within that genus; and taller plants are considered more to humans but not necessarily the two together are required to completely To the Totonac of Central America, spread maize across the trade routes from an earlier ancestral plant, been found on archaeological selenium, and has small amounts 16,800 pounds of corn!) Although it ancestor teosinte. Zea mays, the only valuable, they may choose seed from advantageous for the plants, these Orange and red fruits and identify the organism. Modern humans vegetables have high levels domesticated species in this genus, is belong to the genus Homo and species corn was the wife of the sun, Tzinteotl. of Europe, Africa and Asia in the teosinte. The domestication of artifacts, murals, and hieroglyphs of potassium and calcium. is not native to Africa, corn is now that particular to grow more plants newly developed plants have often of carotenes, but dark green leafy Homo sapiens. Both words are 1500s and 1600s. The word ‘corn’ to corn occurred between 9000 and of these early civilizations. the most widely grown staple crop what we know today as maize. just like it. Since the individual lost the ability to survive in the wild vegetables do as well. As it is easily Today, maize is one of the italicized, by convention, and the first Nutrition Facts Maize to the Pawnee was the stored and preserved, maize is an Europeans of the day was a general 6000 years ago in the Central Serving Size: for over 300 million Africans because is capitalized but not the second. plants selected likely contain genes without humans. For example, birds or 1 cup (154g) three most important Amount per serving important source of nutrition for people Calories 132 Calories from Fat 16 Evening Star, mother of all things, term for grain. Early Americans Balsas River Valley in southwestern Cultivated and traded for centuries, who cannot get fresh vegetables of its nutritional qualities and ease for the trait they were selected for, wind do not easily disperse the large % Daily Value* What is Teosinte? Sometimes a third name is used, if Total Fat 2g 3% crops in the world, with Saturated Fat 0g 0% year round. differentiated ‘Indian Corn’ as maize Mexico. Because it was nutritious, there is evidence that maize first Polyunsaturated Fat 1g of cultivation. Maize has become the there are subspecies. For example, their offspring are more likely to kernels from contemporary maize who gave corn to the people Monounsaturated Fat 1g Cholestorol 0g 0% Felis silvestris is a species of cat; Sodium 23mg 1% wheat and rice. Maize is Teosinte [tee-uh-sin-tee] is a and ‘corn’ as grain. As our American easy to store and carry, adapted found its way into North America Total Carbohydrates 29g 10% dominant subsistence crop in sub- inherit that trait. A tall plant is ears. If left alone in the wild, they Dietary Fiber 4g its domestic descendant, the Sugars 5g from her garden in the sky. Protein 5g wild grass in the Poaceae family house cat, is known as English language has evolved over to diverse growing conditions and via the Rio Grande valley around Vitamin A 6% Vitamin C 17% Saharan Africa and Latin America, the most widely grown more likely to have taller offspring. would simply fall to the ground, where Calcium 0% Iron 4% Thiamin 21% Riboflavin 5% F. silvestris catus. Niacin 13% Pantothenic Acid 12% that includes the species Zea mays. the years, ‘corn’ has come to refer provided food and fuel, maize was the eighth century, spreading north Vitamin B6 4% Potassium 12% where 17 to 30 percent of children Over time, if only tall plants they would sprout in a heap, too close Phosphorus 14% Magnesium 14% crop in the Americas, Zinc 5% Copper 4% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Zea mays parviglumis is likely the specifically to ‘maize’ and today the an indispensable part of ancient life. through the Rocky Mountains and under age 5 were found to be are chosen, a larger and larger together to be able to grow into big with 70-100 million ancestor of today’s maize (Zea mays two are often interchangeable. Domesticated over the centuries, east along major rivers. It reached vitamin A deficient. proportion of plants will be tall. healthy plants. And while some plant acres grown annually in mays). Teosinte and maize are maize nourished the civilizations the east coast, including upstate Maize is a good source of dietary fiber However, there is no seeds, including teosinte, are dispersed different subspecies ofZea consensus definition that became the mighty empires of New York and New England, by the United States alone, Species Our human ancestors selected through ingestion by animals (and and protein, while being very low of the term or common mays, but maize, as a result Historically, the term species the early Americas, including the 1200 C.E. It was the Wampanoag criteria for identifying new expelled in droppings), maize kernels in fat and sodium (salt). However, accounting for nearly has been used to denote teosinte plants (the ancestor of species, so the term can be of domestication, has been a rank in the taxonomic Mayans, Incas, Aztecs and Indians who gifted ill-prepared because it is naturally deficient in controversial. This concept maize) that had bigger kernels cannot be dispersed this way—they 40% of all maize grown classification system, typically continuously selected by humans has become complicated to denote organisms that can Anasazi. Treasured and Plymouth colonists with maize to lysine and tryptophan, two of eight with the availability of DNA and more rows of kernels. Over lack teosinte’s protective coating, so interbreed, or organisms that in the world. over thousands of years to sequence data-as organisms worshipped, maize survive the harsh winter of 1621, for amino acids essential for humans, it appear to be similar. time they probably also selected are more thoroughly digested. have more kernels, bigger that look different may was the center of which they gave thanks. Americans needs to be combined with other foods actually be genetically quite for other useful traits, such as teosinte cobs, more rows of kernels, similar, while those that their world. have honored this act of kindness such as legumes (beans) for balanced look to be closely related kernels that didn’t shatter (fall to maize and exposed kernels that may turn out to be quite by celebrating Thanksgiving for off from the plant), exposed nutrition. genetically distinct. nearly 400 years. are more edible.

Teosinte modern corn

140 million years ago 65 million years ago 13,000 years ago million years ago 600 million years ago FLOWERING PLANTS GRASSES 2.5 AGRICULTURE BEGINS IN 10-13,000 years ago 500 years ago ANIMALS EARLY HUMANS 200,000 years ago THE MIDDLE EAST AGRICULTURE BEGINS 6,000 years ago MAIZE CARRIED BACK 475 million years ago FIRST SPECIES OF THE GENUS HOMO MODERN HUMANS IN THE AMERICAS MAIZE CULTIVATION TO EUROPE LAND PLANTS HOMO SAPIENS IN THE AMERICAS